High Wind in Colorado, April 19, 1996

Name: High Wind in Colorado, April 19, 1996
Start: 1996-04-19T07:00
End: 1996-04-19T10:30
Location: Colorado

April 19, 1996 · NWS PUB · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong jet stream wind, mixing with a cold front brought high winds to the Colorado Springs area in the morning. Winds gusted to between 65 and 98 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.

A strong jet stream wind, mixing with a cold front brought high winds to the Colorado Springs area in the morning. Winds gusted to between 65 and 98 mph. Winds gusted to 77 mph at Peterson Air Force Base and the Colorado Springs Airport. A piece of metal blew against some power lines...causing two short power outages in Manitou Springs. A fire...spread quickly by the high winds...destroyed a house in Colorado Springs.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft

When: April 19, 7:00 AM MST to 10:30 AM MST
Where: Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured: 85 kt (98 mph)
Coordinates: 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern San Luis Valley

When: April 19, 7:00 AM MST to 10:30 AM MST
Where: Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Property damage: $300,000
Coordinates: 37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft

When: April 19, 7:00 AM MST to 10:30 AM MST
Where: Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Coordinates: 37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544231, 5544232, 5544233.